Day: October 27, 2017

Few designs have had the longevity as those deriving from the ultimate 'tool' timepiece - those wrist-worn instruments designed to be used on or below the sea. And different from its brethren, conceived with features offering service on land or in the air, truly submersible watches come with additional USPS, including a unidirectional bezel (for accurately timing dives), water resistance to at least 100m (obviously) and a clear, legible read-out at great depths. These elements certainly inform the design of some of today's most recognizable replica watches, including those birthday boys, the Aquanaut by Patek Philippe (20 years old), the cheapest fake Rolex Seadweller (50) and Omega Seamaster (60).
And if it doesn't sate your appetite, you can read more about the original Submariner in James Gurney's exhaustive "How to collect Rolex" - the fourth installment in our must-read 'Anatomy of a Watch Collection' series.
We celebrate a group of replica watchmakers who - in a sector that lately has, as author and watch eminence named Nick Foulkes notes in his latest 'Tale From The Industry', become more of a career choice than a vocation - stand apart. For starters, we have Jean-Claude Biver, the man responsible for reanimating the traditional Swiss watch business in the face of the quartz revolution, first with Blancpain and later with Omega and Hublot. And then there's Edouard Meylan, scion of an important watch dynasty, now shrewdly guiding the fortunes of another reanimated dial name, H. Moser (with a little help from a VFF*). And we also profile David Sokosh, whose decision to assemble his own watches from his stall at the Brooklyn Flea Market has resulted in a novel take on the term 'Made in the USA'.
So, all in all, the three men represent a degree of individuality sometimes missing in others. Which is what GQWatch out to achieve when it launched back in 2007. Eleven years old, one old faithful remains alert and attuned to the best replica watch world as it unwinds over the year ahead: the eleventh installment of our, our one-of-a-kind A-Z guide to the most important watch brands on the market, once again compiled by Simon De Burton. Hopefully, you will find plenty to feast upon, generally speaking.

It is the same year of 1953, the first Rolex Explorer debuted in 1953, that the Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay completed the first successful ascent of Mt. Everest. The replica Rolex sponsored the expedition and provided Hillary with a watch to accompany him, a prototype of what would become the best fake Rolex Explorer.
After this outstanding feat, the Explorer became the preferred watch for committed climbers. Its appeal lies in its ability to withstand extreme temperatures and its simple, straightforward design.
The Rolex advertisements for the watch throughout the 1950s, which featured climbers using their Explorer during their ascent up a mountain or paying tribute to the Explorer for assisting them on their journey.
The first official watch inscribed with the Explorer name was the model, released in 1953. It was replaced by another model six years later, which had a more flattened caseback than the previous model.
In 1971, Rolex made the first Explorer II, Ref. 1655. It was specifically designed with speleologists and polar explorers in mind. Because it's difficult to distinguish between day and night in those places, the Explorer II features a fourth hand and a 24-hour bezel. This additional hand-typically orange-has become a trademark of the Explorer II.
The second edition of the Explorer II, debuted in 1985. This variation is often referred to as a transitional model since another edition was launched just four years later.
There are many similar points between the Explorer I and Explorer II. For example, both are self-winding, waterproof up to 330 feet, and only offered in stainless steel. However, they have a few important differences that make them appeal to different wearers as well.
Although it came first, The Explorer I has a more modern and minimalist aesthetic. It's a classic Rolex with a more considerable satisfactory appearance and fittest size. The slim, simple, and clean lines of the Explorer I make it a timeless watch for an expedition or a day at the office.
The Explorer II, on the other hand, has a sportier feature in appearance and feeling, with a larger case, sapphire crystal, and caliber 3000 movement. Each of the details of the Explorer II would be bigger and bolder, from the lugs to the dial markers. The more rugged appearance of the Explorer II makes it a more durable and practical watch for daily wear, even if you're not a passionate adventurer.
While the Explorer I is also the perfect replica watch for the thrill-seeking climber, the Explorer II is more ideal for the avid cave dweller. Otherwise, if neither type of adventure is your thing, both Explorer models are not only typically cool replica watches but also great watches for everyday wear.

I feel myself so thankful when I gifted my husband a leather iPhone case with a pocket for a credit card. What a perfect wife! But a few days later over a frozen ready meal, Mike said, "Forty-five feels like a big birthday." He generally treats his birthday with the reverence the average person gives National Fishing Month.
"Oh," I said. "Well, sure. OK. What do you want as a gift?"
Eyes cast down at his lasagne, he replied: "A replica Rolex."
And although he buried those two words under a long string of "Just kidding" at once and "Promise you won't", I had already mentally thrown the iPhone case into a skip behind a Chinese takeaway.
I have never really understood the fake Rolex phenomenon. I love replica watches, although they are replicas, but I gravitate toward leather straps and delicate faces. It is undeniable that there is something about a Rolex that makes them worth coveting. That crown logo that lurks in the background of Wimbledon matches. Roger Federer is an ambassador for the brand and who's classier than Federer? I bet he has never even heard of frozen lasagne.
The Federer, though, is he's very rich. I knew Rolexes cost a lot, but I didn't know how much "a lot" actually was until I went on the website. It doesn't list prices, which is always a bad sign. Some googling revealed that even the lowest-tier Rolex replica would take me close to a figure that is more than I have ever spent on something I wasn't actually planning to live in.
Decided to justify the expense, I imagined Mike one day passing it on to our son. I reasoned that since it would be a gift for two people, it would only be half the price. I also sought reassurance from my pal James, who confirmed that a Rolex inspires a push-pull of guilt and fascination in men: it's a beautiful gizmo that radiates status and achievement, but whose price point gives men a stomach ache. Rolex, I realised, are the male engagement ring - the major difference being that, while most women would absolutely buy a diamond solitaire for themselves but can't, men are free to buy a Rolex for themselves but often won't.
In the end, I made up my mind on the way one should make all important choices: I went on internet forums to see what random strangers had to say. And I soon discovered that across message boards, the Submariner inspires the most primal love of all the fakes. To be fair, you aren't Steve McQueen, but you're the guy who dragged 12 suitcases through the airport when we moved across the country and emerged through security laughing, even though your finger was bleeding profusely from getting caught in the pram as you stuffed it through the X-ray.

The story of the replica Tudor usually revolves around its sibling status to the replica Rolex, but since entering the UK market a couple of years ago, it's been strident about its role in both developing the iconic 'tool watch', and for supporting those adventurers, spiritual or otherwise, who've decided to wear its robust and lately highly collectible pieces.
The choice of Lady Gaga, then, fits with a brand profile that's moving away from equipping explorers and other items, and joining a broader discussion around what does and doesn't fit the 'status quo'.
With her six Grammys, Golden Globe and 30m albums sold, Lady Gaga has clearly prospered in the mainstream whilst greatly abstaining from its cookie-cutter standards; ditto Tudor replica, which has helped bring fabric straps a lot recently and 'neo-vintage' designs back to the horological fore.
Now we have another question, why are some fake watches referred to as chronometers?
The term chronometer (which is simply means "time measurer" in Latin) can only be used if the movement in question has been tested and certified by an independent authority. Although there are many of these bodies around the world, in practical terms this normally means the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute. The institute tests the movements submitted to it for their accuracy over a period of 15 days: the first ten at room temperature and for the last five at a range of different temperatures. The measured timekeeping deviations must lie within pre-defined tolerances, usually of -4/+6 seconds per day, or a precision of 99.99%, the most accurate mechanical movement can be. If this is the case, then a Swiss Official Chronometer certificate will be issued for the movement and as such is a mark of quality. The term chronometer was originally coined by Yorkshire clockmaker Jeremy Thacker in the early 18th century in his unsuccessful quest to build a clock accurate enough for marine navigation - the problem being how to deny the effects of the motion of the ship. This was important for marine safety and exploration and so of vital concern to the British as the pre-eminent naval power of the age. Self-educated carpenter John Harrison then took up the challenge was ultimately and one of his chronometer designs was used by Captain Cook used his during his second and third voyages. Harrison made himself the equivalent of a multi-millionaire owing to his efforts - and helped the British Empire to dominate the world's oceans for the next century.

The very first good news of a more synergized approach to watchmaking at LVMH comes to light this week, with the unveiling of Zenith's Defy Lab, a collaboration between the highly-decorated Le Locle manufacture, the R&D department of replica Hublot and Guy Semon, CEO of the luxury group's R&D Institute, Watch Division, based at TAG Heuer replicas.
And the results are even more outstanding than the fake Zenith's landmark achievement to a certain extent, the legendary El Primero from 1969, the first serially produced chronograph capable of measuring to 1/10th of a second, made possible by the higher oscillating frequency. Because today the fake Zenith has announced a new movement beating at an incredible 15hz or ten times more accurately than the original El Primero.
Featured inside an upgraded movement called the ZO 342 is an entirely new regulating system dubbed the fake Zenith Oscillator, which replaces the coupled balance and hairspring ("sprung balance") system devised by the astronomer and physicist Christiaan Huygens back in 1675 with a single element measuring just 0.5mm thick.
The Oscillator itself is made from monocrystalline silicon and its two components replace the 30 or so parts that comprise the traditional sprung balance system. The usage of monocrystalline silicon obviates the need for lubrication, resulting in less friction, which - in tandem with the increased frequency - achieves far greater accuracy for 95 per cent of its 60-hour power reserve (which is ten per cent greater than the original El Primero, despite the uplift in frequency).
This gives the Defy Lab a triple-whammy of credentials: chronometer certification awarded on behalf of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), as well as thermal and anti-magnetic properties that meet criteria laid down by the International Organization for Standards (ISO). As the replica Zenith describes it, "This mechanism opens up a new dimension, representing no less than a reinvention of the Huygens principle with another mechanical replica watch."
Initially offered in ten unique pieces (all of which are pre-sold), the fake Zenith Defy Lab features a 44mm case made from a patent-pending aluminium composite developed by the R&D team at Hublot, called Aeronith, which is billed as 1.7 times lighter than aluminium and 10% lighter than carbon fibre. Finally, the aim is to industrialize the Zenith Oscillator as the El Primero, but until then there's the Defy El Primero 21, a chronograph capable of measuring to 100th of a second via a central seconds hand the first series-made chronograph able to do so, and the debut piece in this newly-minted line of Defy replica watches.